


Unmasked

by Dreamin



Series: Christmas in July 2020 [9]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, New Year's Eve, Stormpilot mentioned, college student Rose, graduate student Armitage, reylo mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:01:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25103617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamin/pseuds/Dreamin
Summary: A New Year's Eve masquerade party is the last place Rose thought she'd fall in love.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico
Series: Christmas in July 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778281
Comments: 6
Kudos: 37





	Unmasked

**Author's Note:**

  * For [afteriwake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/gifts).



> Inspired by the Christmas in July 2020 prompt "31. countdown" and the 50 Kisses prompt "7. to shut them up." afteriwake wanted a university AU, so...

“C’mon, Rose,” Rey, her best friend and sorority sister, pleaded. “It’s a party, you have to dance at least once.”

Rose raised an eyebrow, though she knew it wasn’t visible beneath her silver lace mask. “I don’t see you dancing.”

Rey blushed beneath her gold filigree mask. “I just don’t feel like dancing.” She bent down to brush away non-existent lint off her strapless black satin ballgown, the simplicity of it a stark contrast to Rose’s silver lace cocktail dress.

“Could that be because Ben’s not here?” Rose asked, smiling a bit. The two of them had been circling each other like a binary star since their freshman year.

“He said he’ll be here,” Rey said, blushing brighter. “I … I think I’m actually going to ask him to dance this time.”

Rose grinned. “Good, put the rest of us out of our misery.” She took a sip of her champagne, wrinkling her nose at the bubbles. “Speaking of ‘us,’ where are Poe and Finn?”

Rey nodded towards two masked men kissing in a mostly secluded corner. “They finally decided to change their relationship status from ‘just friends’ to ‘boyfriends.’”

“Halleluiah,” Rose said. “Now the only ones pining across the table at every group dinner will be you and Ben.”

“Very funny,” Rey muttered before sipping her own champagne. “So, why are you dateless this time? I could name at least a dozen guys who would’ve taken you.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “I want a guy who’s interested in more than getting into my pants. Is it too much to ask that a man have a conversation with me instead of my chest?”

“What about Hux?” Rey asked, her eyes dancing. “Ben respects him, albeit grudgingly.”

Just the thought of the grad student was enough to make Rose’s blood boil. “Hux is an asshole. I made the mistake of asking him to look over my latest paper. Do you know what he put? 'You could have done better.' Then he gave it an eighty-five percent. Eighty-five! I worked my ass off on that paper. For once, Prof. Snoke wasn’t a complete monster, he gave it a ninety-three.”

“Okay, so Hux is a prick.” Rey grinned. “But at least he’s a good-looking prick.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Yeah, if you like your men tall, ginger, emotionally repressed, and so damn full of themselves.”

Rey smirked. “You could be full of him instead.”

She choked on her champagne. “Rey!”

Rey’s grin was unrepentant. “Just think about it.”

Ben chose that moment to arrive (no one else had those broad shoulders and penchant for wearing only black) and as soon as Rey saw him, Rose knew their conversation was at a definite end. She decided to leave the almost lovebirds alone and headed for the refreshment table. The hotel ballroom their sorority had rented for the masquerade party was full of people, all of them masked, and all of them waiting for midnight. The music alternated between waltzes and pop songs and more than once, Rose found herself wanting to dance.

 _Too bad there’s nobody here worth-_ Her thoughts stopped dead when she saw a tall, redhaired man enter the ballroom. Instead of the cheap rental tux that most of the other men wore, his was a well-fitted traditional tailcoat and white tie. _This is a sorority masquerade ball, not a state dinner at the White House. This guy’s a bit overdressed. Still, he looks damn good._ His outfit was completed by a charcoal gray metal mask with glittery black swirls. All in all, he looked like a fairytale prince.

The man looked over the ballroom then his eyes landed on her. Before she had time to react, he walked across the crowded dance floor to her, the other people parting as if they were the Red Sea. Rose could only stare at him slack-jawed as he approached her, finally stopping a foot from her. Gray-green eyes gazed at her intently as a waltz started.

“May I have this dance?” he murmured. His accent was British and his voice made her want to melt.

“I … I don’t know how to waltz,” she admitted, mentally kicking herself. _Of all the things I don’t know, why did it have to be that one?_

He held out his hand, smiling a bit. “I’ll show you.”

Rose hesitated a moment before placing her hand in his. He gave her what could only be described as a sexy grin before leading her onto the dance floor. After finding a clear space, he showed her the proper ballroom hold then he taught her the steps. Rose kept her eyes on their feet as they moved and after a handful of steps, the man chuckled, the sound making her shiver in the best way.

“You know the steps,” he murmured. “You just have to trust yourself, and trust me.”

At that, she finally looked up into his eyes. The smile he rewarded her with was soft, as were his eyes, and she wanted the moment to never end. When the waltz was over, a pop song came on and Rose bit back a groan.

The man grinned. “Come.” Not letting go of her hand, he was leading her off the dance floor when another man approached them and smiled at her.

“How ‘bout a dance, gorgeous?”

Her partner looked worried that she was going to accept the other man but Rose simply grinned. “Sorry, already taken.” She took the lead in getting her partner off the dance floor and over to an empty table. He held out a chair for her, which she couldn’t help loving, then sat down next to her once she was seated.

“Please tell me you meant me when you said you’re ‘already taken,’” he said, the earnestness in his eyes belying his playful tone. “I’d hate to think I was dancing with someone else’s girlfriend.”

Rose grinned. “I’m single. Painfully single, according to my friends, so yeah, I meant you. What about you? I’d hate to think I was dancing with someone else’s boyfriend.”

He grinned back, relaxing. “Painfully single as well. To be honest, I almost didn’t come tonight.”

 _That would’ve been a tragedy._ “What made you change your mind?”

“I didn’t want to be alone, again, on New Year’s Eve.” Pulling an honest to God pocket watch out of his vest pocket, he checked the time. “Only a few minutes to midnight.”

“And the unmasking,” she said, grinning.

He looked up at her, torn. “Do you want to unmask me or do you want to keep the fantasy going? I know what my answer is.”

She blinked in surprise. “We’d have to take them off at some point and go back to the real world.”

“You won’t like me in the real world,” he said quietly, not meeting her eyes. “I’ve been told I’m cold and distant, and very harsh.”

Rose reached out to take his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I find that really hard to believe. You haven’t been anything like that to me tonight. In fact, I’d say you’ve been the perfect gentleman.”

He looked down at their joined hands. “I want to be, especially with you.”

She grinned. “Then what’s stopping you?”

He looked up at her. “I don’t know.”

Someone announced that it was thirty seconds to midnight.

He let go of her hand. “If there’s someone else you’d rather kiss at midnight, I understand.”

Rose stared at him. “Why on earth would I want to kiss anyone else?” She took his hand, grinning. “You’re stuck with me, mister.” Her grin faltered slightly. “Unless there’s someone you’d rather kiss…?”

He grinned back, relieved. “God, no.” He got to his feet then held out his hand.

_“Ten!”_

She took it and stood up then grinned up at him. “I think I’m going to need to wear higher heels around you.”

_“Nine!”_

“I can just bend down,” he said, smirking. His gaze intensified as he did just that.

_“Eight!”_

Rose unconsciously wetted her lips as her eyes closed.

_“Seven!”_

His soft lips brushed one cheek then the other, making her sigh softly.

_“Six!”_

He kissed the tip of her nose and she couldn’t help giggling.

_“Five!”_

His lips brushed the shell of her ear. “Let me take you home,” he whispered.

_“Four!”_

She nodded, too overwhelmed by his presence to speak.

_“Three!”_

“So trusting,” he murmured as he pulled back to see her face and she opened her eyes. “I’ll break your heart.”

_“Two!”_

“No,” she murmured back, “you won’t. I won’t let you.”

_“One!”_

His lips found hers, soft and unsure.

_“Happy New Year!”_

Rose kissed him back, confident and passionate, her hands grabbing his lapels in an effort to keep him in place, not that he seemed to want to go anywhere. His arms wrapped around her and he relaxed into the kiss, returning her passion as his confidence grew.

_“Okay, everybody – time to take off the masks!”_

He pulled back at that, his face flushed and his eyes wide with Rose recognized as fear, even with the desire also evident in them. She softly kissed his cheek then took his hand.

“C’mon,” she said as she led him to the doors. “I got a room here for tonight since I didn’t want to have to deal with New Year’s Eve traffic. We can take off our masks there.”

They stopped only to get his coat from the coat check then they were taking the elevator up to her floor. He held his folded coat in front of him, looking at it instead of her, discomfort coming off him in waves. Her fingers itched to touch him but she decided it that it had better wait.

Once they were inside her room, she took his hands then brought them up to the black ribbon ties of her mask. He hesitated a moment before untying them then gently removing the mask from her face.

She smiled up at him happily. “Do you like who you see?”

He smiled weakly. “Yes, actually. I’ve liked you since your freshman year, Rose. I just couldn’t admit it.”

“Oh, so you do know me,” she said, grinning wide.

“Very well, but also not as well as I would like.” He looked down at her mask in his hands then he set it on the nightstand before turning back to her. “As soon as I take off mine, you’ll hate me.”

“I find that really hard to believe,” she murmured.

“You already hate me. And I deserve it – I either avoided you completely or was too harsh with you. You came to me for help and instead of turning you down like I should have, I was overly mmph!”

She pulled him down by his lapels and cut off his string of words with a kiss. While he was sufficiently distracted, she reached up to untie his mask then removed it when he pulled back.

Armitage stared down at her, his eyes unreadable but his mouth set in a thin line.

“Hi, Hux,” she murmured, smiling at him shyly.

“When did you know it was me?” he asked quietly.

“Not until just now, when you mentioned me going to you for help. But really, I should’ve known the moment you walked in.” She grinned. “I mean, how many gorgeous British redheads are on campus?”

He stared at her. “You think I’m gorgeous?” There was a faint smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

Rose smirked. “Oh yeah. It was only your personality that kept me from asking you out.”

“I’m not like that with everyone. You … brought out the worst in me, probably because I was attracted to you and didn’t know what to do about it.”

“And now?” she murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Now, I can be myself,” he murmured before lowering his head to kiss her again.


End file.
